The Paradox of Darkness
by Living Paradox
Summary: Naruto suffers a change from which there is no return. What happens when his comrades see him? Sasuke plays an active role. Not yaoi. Rated for violence, cursing, so on and yadda.
1. The Corruption

**Author Notes: I came up with another quasi evil/dark Naruto fanfic. I do promise a happy ending though. This one will be longer, multiple chapters. Paradox loves his reviewers. Here's the prologue.**

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**Naruto:** It was dark and storming when they came after the group, the Sound Ninja, Orochimaru's last remaining followers. The blond had already been severely hurt, Guren being the one to blame. The crystal user lay dead, a kunai having broken the lining of her chest. Her lungs collapsed in the middle of their fight, and she died before she could finish Naruto off. "Hah…hah…hah," the boy panted. Sasuke had already gone along with Kakashi, and Sakura had to heal his injuries, so Naruto was left to fend for himself as he pulled the crystal shards from his arm. Each one burned like mad, and Naruto was barely conscious with the amount of blood he had lost.

"_**You idiot,"**_ Kyuubi spoke to him darkly from within his infernal cage. _**"If you had just used some of my powers, you wouldn't have been so uselessly hurt. What I wouldn't give to get out of you and kill you myself. Unfortunately, this seal means if you die, I die. I'll heal you, but I wish you would quit being so stubborn."**_ Red chakra began swirling around Naruto, and his cuts slowly closed up, but the blond felt sick to his stomach. _**"What in blazes?"**_ Kyuubi exclaimed as his chakra was forcefully sucked from within the cage to without, into Naruto's body.

"Haaah, Kyuubi," Naruto just barely spoke as he went on all fours, his knees and hands barely holding him up while he felt like he'd puke. _Is this because, of what Orochimaru did to me?_ Naruto thought to himself. The snake-man had done something right before the blond finished him in his enormous white serpent form. Orochimaru sprouted a black snake, and it was too fast for Naruto to avoid. Its fangs sank into his seal, and its master spoke something about a curse. Naruto removed the snake and stepped on its head to kill it, and the fang marks closed up. No problem, right?

Kyuubi could feel his own chakra draining from him, his body weakening within the cage. _**"Why?"**_ he asked before collapsing on his side.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed when she saw him. Ethereal red-orange flames surrounded his body and ate away at the plant life around him, leaving barren, dry earth beneath him. Kakashi stood next to her in shock. Sasuke could feel the chakra even though he was in a tent resting. His heart was being crushed with fear. Naruto twitched in pain as his body began growing a red, furry tail. In his silent scream, his fangs grew as well. He cried as he sat there, unable to do anything. Naruto's eyes permanently went red, his fingernails no longer human, but razor sharp claws. All that was left human was his mind and physical stature. When Kyuubi's chakra finished transforming him, it entirely rejected itself from his body, sending out a wave which blew the forest apart. Kakashi got Sakura underground to protect her, and it was just in time. There was an eerie silence until Naruto could breathe and cry. His two comrades came up from their hole to see devastation everywhere. "Naruto?" she asked in terror.

The boy turned to her in fear, but his eyes spoke of other, more dangerous emotions. He didn't know his limitations, and his torn clothes didn't help Kakashi or the pink-haired girl to see him for who he was. Naruto thought he was merely walking over to them in pain, but the physical speed put Kakashi on alert. When a hand reached out, Sakura's eyes went wide, and Kakashi punched the boy hard into what remained of a fallen tree. When Naruto surprisingly doubled over, his mouth got close enough to Kakashi's arm that the tip of his fang sliced him open down to about the middle of his hand.

"Agh, damn it," the white-haired Jounin exclaimed as he held his arm. "Sakura." The pink haired girl was frightened out of her mind. She looked at Naruto with his eyes barely halfway open, the demonic red showing at her like a death threat that truly didn't exist. Sakura wanted to help Naruto, but his appearance kept her at bay. Even when he had gone to four tails in the Kyuubi's Cloak with most of his flesh missing, it just wasn't as frightening. The new tail wasn't made of chakra, he had just leveled forty square miles of forest, and his movements, those scared her the worst. "Sakura!" Kakashi exclaimed again. He summoned a shadow clone, and they flew off, the true Kakashi looking over his shoulder the whole way.

_S-Sa,kura,_ Naruto thought to himself as he lay painfully on his side. He lost consciousness just as he saw the three blurry forms leaving quickly. _Why?_ A tear left his eye as he collapsed entirely, even Kyuubi unconscious. There wasn't a drop of chakra in either of them. Orochimaru's curse, would it kill him?

"No, we have to go help Naruto!" Sakura cried as she struggled in Kakashi's clone's grasp. "We have to go back."

"If you go back there, you will die Sakura," Kakashi told her as he wrapped his arm up in gauze. "It's over. Naruto's gone…not dead, but gone. The Fourth's seal has been weakened too much. He's already physically changed. The next step is the Kyuubi breaking free and leaving a corpse behind. You don't want to be there when that happens. Sasuke, can you walk?"

"Yes, but," the raven answered before being quickly cut off.

"No buts, we're leaving, now!" Kakashi ordered. Sakura had to be knocked out for the Jounin to get her back to the village. "I'm sorry Sakura. We tried, and we failed." The Hokage was beside herself in worry, sadness, and anger. Why? Why had it happened? And why didn't Kakashi bring Naruto back? Surely she, Minato's friend, and the Third's student, could have done _something_. Tsunade realized though that looking for him would be impossible. When Naruto ran away, it was impossible for him to be found. Her only hope was that he would return to the Leaf Village on his own. All efforts to find him failed. ANBU could not track him. He had somehow vanished entirely, as though he had never been in that forest.

"Damn everything," Tsunade wept in her office. "Stupid Kakashi, stupid ANBU, STUPID NARUTO!" The last words were accompanied by a smashed desk as she banged her fist down upon it. "Come back Naruto, please." She sniffled and cried. Saké couldn't even help her. What made it worse though, was the village's response.

"Good riddance!"

"Maybe he'll die."

"Took long enough."

"Hey, I heard they finally killed him, left him for the wolves."

All of it was too painful to listen to. Naruto's friends took it hard though. Kiba and Sasuke especially wanted to keep looking for him, but every time they got a hint of a lead, the investigation ended in disappointment.

"Why? Why did he attack me?" Naruto asked sorrowfully as he sat in a cold, damp cave. Kyuubi had regained consciousness, and his chakra began restoring itself at last. Naruto wrapped himself in his tail, a terrible compensation for a warm blanket, but at least it was soft. "What did I do? Why?" he cried.

"_**They were fools Naruto,"**_ Kyuubi spoke, slightly comforting his jinchuuriki. _**"The village has hated you for years. I guess your sensei and friends finally followed suit. I'm sorry about what happened. That man, Orochimaru did this to you. Don't blame your friends, but don't go back Naruto. You'll only be heartbroken. Leave them as they left you. Kill the emotion in your heart."**_ Naruto didn't want what he said to be true, but he eventually accepted it.

"If they won't even try to understand, what do I owe them?" Naruto asked into the air as his tears stopped. "I don't need them anyway. Some friends." He still wished for comfort, shelter from the cold his torn clothing let through. If only he knew his friends were trying to find him. If only…he had been found. Naruto was eventually found though, just not by someone he ever thought could end up being helpful to him.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Itachi asked calmly as he stood in the mouth of the cave. "Naruto Uzumaki?" Naruto's eyes opened and saw the Sharingan. _No…_his mind thought in terror.

**Author Notes: Prologues are meant to be short. Live with it.**


	2. Actions and the Past

**Author Notes: Yay, new chapter!**

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**Tsunade:** The Hokage sat in her office early in the morning. She went through her paperwork like it was second nature, but her thoughts lied elsewhere. _It's been seven years,_ Tsunade thought. _It's been seven years since we lost you Naruto._ Nobody's life was the same after Kakashi came back. All of Naruto's friends except Sakura shunned Kakashi completely for the first three years. When it became apparent that the blond wasn't even trying to find his home, they all just became depressed automatons. Missions were all that could get their minds off the subject. Their views would all change after one drastic movement. Shizune ran in with an emergency letter from one of their allies, the Village Hidden in the Stones. "What is it Shizune?" Tsunade asked dryly and as though she wished she was elsewhere.

"Tsunade-Sama, it's bad," her apprentice spoke. Tsunade took the sealed envelope, and when she looked at the contents, the Hokage froze. "Destroyed," Shizune said with a look of fear and perhaps sorrow on. "Supposedly, by the Bijuu." Tsunade's hand fell to the desk, the words still facing her. The woman's look relayed only one thing: fear. "The only ones capable of that kind of summoning and control…"

"Akatsuki," Tsunade ended for her. "But that would mean…Naruto's…"

"Gone," Shizune answered. "There can be no other way. Once the village was destroyed, the demons disappeared, and a single man in dark clothes began searching through the remains for something. All we know, is that he carries a black sword, and his eyes are red."

"A survivor of the Uchiha Clan?" Tsunade asked.

"Probably Itachi," Shizune replied. "The Sharingan and the bloodline would give him enough chakra for a summoning that powerful. He probably killed the rest of Akatsuki if there was only one man walking around."

"Who was our contact?"

"We have not heard from him again, so we assume he is dead or in hiding," Shizune told her master. "But what shall we do Tsunade-Sama? Against the demons, against the Nine-Tails…how can we defend ourselves?"

"I don't know Shizune, but we must send warnings to the other nations," Tsunade told her. "As the Hokage, I will stop him, even if it costs me my life." The blond woman rose before summoning several of her trusted ANBU. "Set the village on high alert, emergency level five!" she commanded. "Get me Kakashi and Sasuke; it's about time we settled this."

The raven-haired boy sat and listened with increasing anger, despair, and pain. Naruto was dead, his brother was moving toward the village, and he was still too weak. "As if he needed more power…demons." His eyes were full of malice as he continued. "I swear as the last remaining noble Uchiha, and Naruto's comrade, Itachi will die when he steps into this village."

"It's all fine to get revved up Sasuke," Kakashi began. "But the fact remains Itachi controls the nine Bijuu. Without the Yondaime's sealing abilities, or someone as strong as the Shodai Hokage, there is almost no chance of us defeating him. In other words, it's time I taught you everything I know." Sasuke and Sakura went wide-eyed.

Kakashi brought his two students, Sakura a Chuunin, Sasuke an effective Jounin under restriction, to a secret training ground known only to the white-haired man. He was not allowed to leave the village without a seal put on to both track him and suppress him if need be and Kakashi as well as five other elite ANBU were with him. "The second you let your guard down here, you'll die," Kakashi spoke. He jumped out into the surrounding trees before cutting a line which began what could best be described as a gauntlet and obstacle course brought together. Sakura and Sasuke protected each other, acknowledging weaknesses, always looking at each other's blind spots. When the weapons stopped flying, the two stopped on the ground, instinctively waiting for some continuation, but Kakashi jumped down and began walking towards them with a slightly cheerful look.

"Sakura, get down!" the raven yelled. A series of wires erupted from the trees before wrapping around the white-haired man's back, only it turned out to be a mere doll of some sort. Had the two not ducked, they would have been trapped in the wire as it was pulled over them into a bed of lethal spikes. "From above!"

This debacle continued for what seemed like eternity, but in the Hokage's office, the blond woman had to break the news to the other Jounin: Yamato, Kurenai, Neji, Gai, Shikamaru, Ebisu, and several of the ANBU captains.

"So we know now…Naruto is," Neji began, but he could not finish; it hurt too much.

"There is no other explanation," Tsunade concluded. "With Itachi on the move, we cannot remain sitting here twiddling our thumbs. He will strike Konoha without mercy, or so his path would seem to take him. If you'll look at the places where his activity has been strongest, then I'd suspect he'll make a move within the next week."

Out of the corner of Gai's eye, he spotted a glint in the distance, and it was charging in quickly. His eyes went wide as the trajectory looked to be headed straight into the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade get down!" the man yelled before pouncing and knocking the woman over to everyone's surprise. A kunai shot through the window not a moment later, sticking right into the center of the desk and standing straight up, still, a note tied to the handle.

"Thank you Gai, but would you mind?" the woman asked, the male awkwardly being over her as some crude form of protection. Gai got up quickly and rubbed the back of his head as he blushed. An ANBU untied the note from the knife and began reading it.

"_Within the forests of Konoha, a demon once slept…quiet, patient, eternal. This guardian of fire and forest was angered by a lone man who held hatred within his heart. The demon attacked without mercy, the village of Konoha, and now with its brothers, shall attack again."_

_Signed,_

_The Red-Eyed Reaper_

"Sounds like a reference to the Nine-Tails' attack," the Hokage spoke calmly as she brushed her shoulders off. "Like I'd expect anything less." As she said this, the true nature of the note was revealed, and the letters broke apart into the jutsu of an already burning explosive tag. "Get out of here!"

BOOOOOM! As the nine ninja and Ton-Ton fell from the height of the fourth floor window, a massive ball of fire shattered the Hokage building. The group haphazardly landed in the streets, and all looked to see the one proud center of Konoha in a burning wreckage. "Find where that kunai came from. Itachi is here!" Tsunade yelled as she tried to stand. It turned out that the landing had sprained her ankle or torn the muscle. "Shizune," she asked. Her assistant supported her over to a bench.

When the rest of the ninja arrived, the old rookie nine included, a female villager screamed as she pointed into the blaze. There, among all the reds and yellows, was too memorable of a color to be missed. Kakashi sprung into the blaze and picked up what looked to be a body, but he didn't take the time to look at it until he was safe from the fire. He looked down into the bent form he held by one arm…and saw orange, black sleeves, and the one red splotch that could be mistaken for no one else. "It can't be," he spoke. The short blond hair was just caught by the breeze, and everyone seemed to freeze, except Sakura. She could see one other feature that the white-haired Jounin was for now unaware of. The pink-haired girl ran toward her sensei with tears beginning to spill from her eyes.

"Naruto!" she bellowed. Sakura got down on her knees and lifted up the face of her long lost comrade. His eyes were not completely closed, but those reddened orbs were lifeless. The blond's thick, proud whiskers were blackened by the flame. All the wounds from the night Team Seven had lost him were still there, still prominent; the tears, the cuts, even the bloodstains. His crimson tail, silky and drooping behind him, was the only thing which could prove above all this was the real boy. Kakashi spotted it as Sakura felt the fine, lush hairs. Her tears exploded in a torrent as she grabbed the corpse lovingly, comfortingly. The girl's moans and wailing could be heard by all. "Naruto! Naruto, why?"

Sasuke blurred in, taking one look at the young man who had rescued him so long ago. There was suffering written in those red eyes, cries for help, cries for love and want. "Dobe," the raven spoke, turning his onyx eyes away from his comrade, perhaps shedding a tear as he left quickly to mourn. Tsunade was walked over, and Sakura laid the body flat as the blond woman lifted his jacket and shirt.

"They stole the Kyuubi," she spoke, "and killed him."

"He must have been caught not long after we left," Kakashi spoke solemnly. "I am sorry, Naruto."

Many of the villagers left out of feeling…lost, but there were those like Teuchi and Ayame of the ramen shop who stayed and mourned. "I won't forgive him," Sakura began. "I won't forgive Itachi. I'll make him pay for what he and the rest of Akatsuki did to Naruto."

"Interesting notion," spoke a man sitting on a cliff. He was using the "body" as a relay, taking in visual and vocal signals. "I should be disgusted, learning that technique from Zetsu."

"Put him on the bed," Tsunade told Kakashi as she pulled the flat out of its freezing chamber. The man put his former student down, eyes seeming to stare back in longing at him, too painful to be gazed at long. Kakashi began crying again as the body disappeared to where rot would not touch it. "Enough crying; train," the woman spoke flatly.

"Hai, Tsunade-Sama." Kakashi brought his remaining students together before unleashing Hell upon them again, a new set of trials, a harder set.

The Hokage cupped the blond's left cheek in her hand, rubbing the soft whisker hairs as she looked into those sorrowful eyes. She lifted his lips, finding the fangs Kakashi had described. It was all there, the symptoms of the calamity Tsunade wished she had the opportunity to try and save. "Even if I had failed, we would have protected you Naruto. If you can hear me, I beg you to forgive us."

Her message was heard by the unknown man not far from Konoha's walls. His head tilted forward only a bit. "Touching."

**Author Notes: Review please. :)**


	3. The Man in Black

**Author Notes: Hello everyone and welcome to a new chapter.**

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It had turned out that Itachi would not be making his move the day that the Hokage building exploded ferociously, but there was a widespread feeling of worry hanging over the villagers. It felt like something had been watching them for the past few days. A shadow lurked through the forests, crept over the mountains, searching.

Tsunade was given quarters and a makeshift office, but her work piled up even more as she mourned over Naruto in silence. He was the same kid when she forced his smile. Now, everything was empty. She took back her necklace and wore it with a heavier burden than ever. It was the only thing real about the "body," whose master decided his time was being wasted by his search.

He flew through numerous hand signs, chanting many phrases, before placing his hands on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu," the man spoke flatly.

One of the Chuunin guards atop the wall of Konoha spotted a giant cloud of smoke rising from the forest about four kilometers out. "Hey, guys, come check this out," he spoke. Two others joined him, and they used their binoculars to gaze out into the haze. "What do ya make of it?"

"Hm," began one of his companions. "The smoke's too thick to see through right now, but it looks like a giant substitution or summoning type-thing." After a few more seconds, the mist thinned enough for them to see the giant silhouette of a creature, a long, spiny form. "Is that a…lizard?" he asked. The smoke cleared completely, and then they saw him, the hooded man atop this beast. "It's him!" the man screamed. Even with the movement so small, he saw the figure's hood rise slightly, and then he threw a kunai so fast it appeared as though a ray of light had shot through him. "I-tachi," the man breathed before falling backwards, blood pouring from the fatal heart wound.

"Tell the" the other man began, just before a shuriken to the neck killed him, "Hoka-ge." He fell to the ground and blood oozed from the serene cut, perfect, smooth, deadly. This last man dove behind the wall, evading the kunai thrown at him by just a hair.

"Sloppy," spoke the four-tailed lizard to his summoner.

"Be quiet," the hooded one replied, cold as ice.

Tsunade had felt a darkness creep into her mind before the man even got there, some presence telling her to stand and alert the village. When the man slammed her door open, she replied swiftly with "I know, to arms!" Every ninja in the village was quickly alerted, and a large gathering appeared on the wall closest to where the great lizard could be seen. "I have no idea what all we face, but be ready to dodge in an instant!" the Hokage ordered. She peered through her own set of binoculars, using her chakra to further enhance her eyesight. The man knew his secret would be unveiled if she were allowed to search long, so in an instant, he was behind them all, the woman frozen in terror, turning to see the robed, hooded man, sitting but a few yards away from those standing at the back. Everyone turned quickly, finding terror and getting his or her weapons in hand.

"ITACHIIIIII!" Roared Sasuke as he jumped up from behind the figure, a blazing Chidori in hand, Sharingan ready, full Curse Mark activated. All that he could see was a tiny smile appear on his adversary's face, and he lost concentration. "You're not," he began before the figure zipped in next to him, grabbing his Chidori hand, and rapidly spinning, throwing Sasuke into the Hokage Mountain at the other end of the village. Everyone was horrified, but they took this opportunity to launch shuriken at the figure. They looked to be dead-on as they got within inches of his body, but then they simply went off course and went around him.

"Space-Time manipulation," spoke Kakashi as he lifted his headband. In that instant, the robed male got in front of him and wound up a punch. He had seen only one tiny thing before he was knocked out and tossed to the village below.

"Everyone spread out and attack!" Tsunade commanded.

"Hmph, a bit late, Hokage-Sama," the man spoke. Something about that voice was familiar, but she could not place it in the time it took her to realize a light was intensifying out in the distance.

"Run! Into the village!" Tsunade roared. Everyone turned to see the light, but there was only a second to spring away. A ray of high-density chakra erupted from the lizard's mouth, and the many who hadn't realized the danger fast enough were wiped away, the man blurring from danger at the last second. A perfect half-circle was bored through the wall now, and two parties panted as they looked across the gap at each other. Tsunade, Ebisu, Iruka, and the remaining Jounin were on one side, Sakura and the Chuunin on the other. Sai stared at the man looking toward the great beast. He looked to be mouthing words, but on the wind, a message was carried to the Bijuu in the forest.

"Return, you have served well."

"Yes master," the lizard replied. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke just as large as when he had appeared, not leaving a trace.

The hooded man turned toward Sai and the Chuunin, the artist seeming calm yet ready. Tsunade and the others joined quickly.

"So the worthy preys now stand before me?" the man asked.

"Surrender and we'll let you live, for now," the Hokage warned.

"Tell me, Hokage, what do you consider to be the policy concerning the comrades of a ninja?" he asked, only hinting at curiosity.

"Leaf-Village shinobi will never abandon their friends, be it in war, in hurt, or on the battlefield," she replied, sure of herself, still trying to find where she knew that voice. It was so familiar, yet different, deeper, more mature.

"And what about, changes?" the man asked, wanting to hold them for but a moment longer.

"Unless turned rogue, like Itachi Uchiha, there is nothing we can't forgive or find a way to help with," the woman replied defiantly.

"Then why was I abandoned?" the man asked. "My appearance changed, my physical limits, and so I was beaten, already injured, and left to rot, to fend for myself." The woman was unnerved, but she got up the courage to ask.

"Who are you?" There was a long pause, a breeze.

"I was only sixteen," the man replied before grabbing the top of his hood. Tsunade went wide-eyed even before his hood had been removed.

"But you were," she began. The fabric fell, just as Kakashi and Sasuke had joined the Godaime, both of them having visible injuries. No one was left without a loss for words. Cold eyes stared back at them, expressionless, crystalline, crimson, unmoving.

"Why was I, the most hopeful, dangerous," he continued on, adding sarcastically, "_potentially_ valuable, hurt, hard-working ninja…why was I alone abandoned, left to rot, in a foreign land, unprotected, barely clothed, injured, and lost?" They were all still speechless. "Your own stupid fear and ignorance caused this!" the blond claimed, pointing a now obviously clawed finger at Kakashi, his brows now furrowed in anger, his fangs showing. "Fine, I will play your game, weaklings!" he yelled, before charging in with a kunai in one hand. Sasuke and Kakashi could barely track him, and even beyond that, could barely block the forward strike and punch.

"Naruto, you don't have to do this!" Sakura yelled at him as he intently stared at his opponents. "You're here now. We'll help you. There's a way to undo this; I know it." The man's face turned to her both in doubt and in longing, just before smiling and giggling.

"Help me?!" the blond asked, still holding pressure on his opponents. "You think you can help me? Just look me!" He disappeared from in font of Sasuke and Kakashi, them falling forward as they continued pushing through air. No one had seen where Naruto went until they got up and stared forward. The blond was undoing his black robe, unzipping the top before pulling his arms in and discarding the garment. "Do you think you could fix me now?" he asked dispassionately. They looked at him in shock, some horror. "I'm the freaking Kyuubi incarnate!" At first he had been granted only a single tail, but now nine of the crimson appendages swayed behind him. "Now I have claws for nails, on my toes too. Perhaps some time ago, it would have been possible for Granny Tsunade to heal me, but now? I don't even think you can heal Sasuke of his Curse Mark use." The raven-haired male looked questioningly at him. "Your chakra network is getting noticeably damaged, and your muscles themselves are beginning to deteriorate from the transformations. I'd say another year or two, and you'll start feeling the effects. Too bad you're not me, because Kyuubi's chakra would only eat away at you now that it's more integrated with _my_ chakra. The levels are too high. Care for a demonstration?"

"Naruto," Iruka began. The blond just now noticed him. "We looked for you for so long. You just disappeared. Every time we thought we might have found a trace, it was a dead end. We're sorry we never found you, but we were always searching. Please, we're sorry that…"

"Save your lies Iruka," the blond spoke hatefully. "On that same day, the day YOU abandoned me Kakashi! I was found, in a cave: cold, wet, and with barely enough clothes, by none other than Itachi himself!" The blond was panting in fury, gazing coldly at the man. It was a long and tenuous moment as they stood there. He lowered his arm to his side. "But bless his soul, Itachi decided to spare my life…" Everyone was put in shock. "…if I helped Akatsuki capture the other Bijuu."

"So you, joined Akatsuki?" Konohamaru asked. "Why boss?"

"Stupid question," Naruto returned. "I never really allied myself with them. Why do you think they are not here now? They're dead. Itachi finally went blind, and a crippling sickness made him all too easy a target. I used them, just as they used me and the Bijuu. I hate Akatsuki. That won't change, but I don't know who I hate more now…the village who abandoned me, or the people who forced my kind to suffer."

"You have a home here Naruto," Tsunade began. "Obviously, you'll have to atone for the lives you just destroyed, but we forgive you."

"**What makes you think you're in a position to forgive?!"** the blond roared, chakra level rising abruptly as the air began howling ad swirling. "You should be begging **my** forgiveness!" He drew a two-foot, forward-edged blade which held a crimson gem in the grip. "Do you have any idea how it felt to be alone for seven years knowing no one was going to rescue me from that Hell?! Let me give you a clue. **It sucked!**" The blond disappeared from the eyes of all except Kakashi and Sasuke, but the Sharingan had its limits as well. The blond was a blur as he swung down, his blade oozing with a light, red glow. With a red flash and explosion of force, the wall beneath the blade fell apart, leaving a giant hole in Konoha's defenses.

"_**Might I remind you that your use of my power is very limited now,"**_ the Kyuubi spoke toward his vessel. _**"Time is running short. Find out where they hid it and end this petty struggle. Too bad you killed Orochimaru before I could get MY hands on him. Either way, you're wasting time."**_

"_I need to beat them first,"_ the blond claimed. All but a few of his opponents remained conscious, the others tossed into the village or the forest. Naruto winced in pain from the curse's effects, just enough for Kakashi to notice and make a dash for him. The blond was ready though and swung upward with his kunai, only missing the man by a hairsbreadth. They stopped, allowing a brief pause before Konohamaru raced in with a Rasengan ready to try and stop his friend, rival, and teacher. "Gotcha!" he roared.

It was instant. Naruto's hand shot up, absorbing the full shock of the blast, before the orb disappeared. "Just who do you think taught you that jutsu?" the blond asked impassively. His junior just looked forward, in shock. "I unwove your chakra, negating all seven-hundred-forty-three spinning currents. Do you know how many currents _mine_ is comprised of?" Konohamaru's eyes went wide as an orb of equal size but greater luminance and speed instantly appeared in Naruto's hand. "Sorry," he spoke flatly, plunging the Rasengan into his student's abdomen, causing Konohamaru to yell out in pain. As if on cue, Neji and Hinata both moved in swiftly, attempting to disable the blond completely. "Whirlwind shock." Naruto disappeared once again, Neji and Hinata only seeing him crouch and begin his jump before he blurred from sight. In just a fraction of a moment, the whirling sphere imploded and then burst, sending spiraling chakra currents into everyone, knocking them away as another, smaller crater was formed in the wall.

"_**Damn it, we don't have the time for this!"**_ the Kyuubi claimed.

"_I realize time is short, so shut up and let me fight!"_ Naruto yelled into his mind. In the second he wasn't focused, Kakashi and three of his clones surrounded the floating blond, wrapping him up in strips of cloth. "Shit!" he yelled. They turned upside down and began violently spinning, the cloth coming undone just before impact. In that moment, the blond replaced himself with a doll he summoned from a seal on his arm. It required much chakra, something he really could not be wasting at a time like this, but he had no choice.

As the body seemed to bore partway and then stop in the brick floor, the Konoha Shinobi watched in partial terror and relief. That was pretty much an instant knockout if not death. "Above!" Neji yelled. Naruto growled, still vulnerable while in midair.

"I don't have time for this," the blond spoke as those below rushed him. Sasuke looked to be coming, jumping up with sword in hand. His attack was parried as the blond continued to descend, but now Kakashi and Tsunade rushed in. He managed to push their attacks away from his body, but he could feel himself getting weaker. The balance was destabilizing again. He winced, but not before noticing the Hyuugas running in.

"Eight Trigrams: Twin Assault!" they yelled. Naruto simply grabbed Neji's arm and pulled himself toward the ground, evading Hinata as she went past. Ebisu threw kunai at him, but the blond used what good chakra he had left to make them miss by just the tiniest amounts. His feet touched the ground, and he evaded a punch by Ebisu just before dashing a short distance away and taking the black blade in both hands.

"Watch out!" Tsunade yelled. It was however, not another shockwave. The blond raised the blade before pointing it down and plunging it through his right leg, yelling in pain as he did so. Everyone froze in shock. Naruto was panting heavily, but they all noticed something, a veil of blackish-red flowing around his body. It flowed into the sword and into the darkening gem in the grip. The blond shut his eyes as he dealt with the pain and panted, but no one made a move.

"I hate to let you see me like this," Naruto began as he drew the steel from himself. The wounds on both sides smoked shut, and he opened his eyes to appear totally calm and collected. "I don't want to waste anymore time, so to the rest of you…"

"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru rushed him from the sides.

"…sleep well." A wave of energy moved from his body, transparent yet seen, washing over Kiba and Akamaru first, instantly forcing them into unconsciousness and making them miss their target. This energy continued to engulf Ebisu, Sasuke, Sakura, Konohamaru, and everyone else except Tsunade, Iruka, and Kakashi. Naruto went on one knee, that power being far too much for his current state. "Damn it!" he hissed. As a footstep in front of him resounded, he raised his blade toward the sound. Tsunade looked unaffected by this action though. She continued approaching, so the blond simply ran for it, and he was quickly pursued by the three as he made a round all the way to the Hokage Mountain.

"Something's not right," Kakashi began, easily overheard by his former student despite the distance. "He was so much stronger only a minute ago. Naruto got too slow too fast, especially for as much as he's fused with the Kyuubi."

"And in the case of stabbing himself," the woman began, "he got stronger again, but not by much. I have a feeling something is very wrong." While they were talking, Iruka had been keeping watch ahead.

"Get down!" he yelled as he saw Naruto pivoting on his left foot. With the sword in both hands, he focused Kyuubi's chakra into it before unleashing what appeared to be a giant, sickle-shaped wave of red energy at them. They dodged successfully before continuing to pursue the blond up to the plateau. Kakashi sprang at him with a pair of kunai, but he was easily blocked, steel to steel.

"Give it up Naruto," he spoke harshly. "You're obviously weaker than you appeared. Quit the charade." His student growled before throwing him. He went into a rage of sorts, slashing, punching, kicking, and the Copy Ninja could barely keep up. It was different from earlier though. The movements weren't at mind-boggling speeds, but they were fast and numerous enough to cause problems.

"Like you would know strength Kaka-Sensei!" he yelled before grabbing one arm, twisting it, and throwing his teacher to the ground. The dark aura began appearing again, and the blond howled in agony. It seemed as though red electricity was jumping through his system as he reached for his blade. He didn't have the strength to raise it far as unstable as his body was, so Naruto impaled his own foot, cringing as the unstable energies flowed from his system. The red gem in his grip darkened further still. "Damn, only a few uses left," Naruto spoke as he removed the blade once again. The cuts healed instantly, but the bone would take time.

It was then that Iruka and Tsunade rushed the blond, the Umino a master of ninja wire. The woman was using her weaker taijutsu, wanting to talk to the young man without the threat of a physical attack. "Just give it up," Naruto told them as Iruka began weaving the strands out in midair. The boy evaded Tsunade's attacks and wove around his old teacher's wires, each trap technique failing. When he stepped just a little close to Kakashi, the man grabbed his foot, causing the blond to stumble as he kicked free. A wire from behind took out both legs, and the blond found himself falling off the edge of the cliff. "Woah!" he exclaimed as he grabbed for something to hold onto.

"Naruto!" Iruka gasped as he ran forward. Kakashi stopped him before slowly approaching himself. His former student had caught a few recesses with his fingers, luckily not breaking them as he dangled, attempting to re-sheath his sword.

"Drop the blade and I'll help you up," Kakashi spoke sternly. The blond froze. He was having no luck, but this item was his safety line.

"I heard you talking earlier Kakashi," he spoke back. "Without this, I'm at a very high risk. You're right. I'm not currently all that strong, but that is because of this condition. If I tapped into my power more…I'd probably die."

"It's the only weapon you've used, and it's the only one on your person," the Jounin replied. "I give you my word we won't try anything if you just show us a little faith."

"_**They lie,"**_ Kyuubi spoke lowly. _**"They abandoned you. Get the information and get going. You don't have more than an hour at this point."**_

Naruto was torn. He needed that blade to make sure he survived long enough to find the permanent solution, but if he didn't abandon it, chances were that he'd never find his solution. The blond brought the blade behind himself before letting it drop. The three above him were actually shocked that he'd trust them so easily, but there was worry in the blond's eyes. "Get me up you perverted idiot!" Naruto yelled.

His teacher's hand reached down, and Naruto grasped it with his free hand, pulling his feet up so he could scale the remaining few inches. A kunai appeared in front of his face, and the three noticed that his fear showed readily, and hurt. "You lied to me," the blond spoke. He hung his head in shame as he held himself on his hands and knees.

"Tell me what you're here for," Kakashi began quietly. "You don't seem to be here for blood, although you spilt quite a bit back at the wall." There was a long pause, and the blond simply didn't speak. "Answer me!" his sensei spoke sternly, causing the male beneath him to shrink in fear.

"Where…is my father's grave?" Naruto managed to ask, so quiet, and yet so clear. "That's what I'm here for."

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Iruka asked. "No one knows who your parents were."

"Actually Iruka," Tsunade began, "we've known since he was fifteen. There's no mistaking it. Where do you think the Yondaime got a newborn to be the Kyuubi's vessel?" The brunette was stunned by those words. "No one would have sacrificed his or her baby to the demon fox. He looks so much like him too. Naruto is Minato's son." The boy started crying. He was hurt, his life was in danger, and he was alone. It all came swirling back into his mind against his will.

"So why do you want to see the Yondaime's grave?" Iruka asked. "To finally meet your father?" Naruto lifted his head with a small smile.

"Yeah," he spoke quietly. _"And to rid myself of this curse,"_ he thought to himself. Kakashi helped the blond up, and Tsunade directed them to the interior of the mountain. She sent Katsuyu to Sakura and Shizune, but Naruto hadn't noticed. "So the faces aren't just for show?" the young man asked.

"The Hokage burial chamber is hidden deep in the mountain," Tsunade replied. "You have to know how to get there to find it though. I periodically visit Sarutobi and my grandfather here." The group came to a dead end, but the woman formed several hand signs before placing her hand on a relatively flat portion of the rock. Blue writing appeared, and the rock face opened into a dark staircase leading further down. Chakra torches lit up as they began walking, and soon, they found the large, circular room which held the corpses of the past Hokages.

"It's huge," Iruka spoke. Naruto immediately walked to the area dedicated to the Fourth Hokage. He held up the picture, looking longingly at his father. A tear slid down the young man's face, but it quickly disappeared.

"_**Do it,"**_ Kyuubi commanded him. _**"The stability won't last but a few more minutes."**_ Naruto heard him, and he solemnly placed the picture frame down.

"Now I can live," Naruto spoke.

**Author Notes: Yay cliffies! Review please. :)**


	4. Important Message

Hey faithful readers.

I'm a family friend of Paradox...

Unfortunately, just two months ago, your author passed away at the age of 17 years 312 days at 4:27 A.M. It was unknown to me at the time he wrote so many fanfictions on this website (or that he wrote so much for a hobby at all). He and I took our english classes together, and I always was astounded when I peer-critiqued/analyzed his work be it a poem, argumentative piece, or philosophical positionings. I've spent the last twelve days reading his stories, and I was honestly shocked at some of his comments. I didn't know he was borderline bi-sexual/plain gay, not that I hold it against him. Some of our best friends are, both boys and girls.

But I'm trailing away here. Paradox and I were performing in a choral-orchestral performance in Carnegie Hall when he collapsed on stage. In a matter of hours, stress, scans, and worry, we (his family and other close friends there too) were told he wouldn't live through the night. He'd contracted adolescent small-cell lung cancer coupled with a virus that had been eating away at the cells in his chest without any signs. Both of his parents smoked, but the doctrs say we can't blame them. Adolescent lung cancer has several genetic factors involved...but in a matter of seven hours, I'd lost a dear friend who had devoted his life to readers like you, issues like human-rights, videogame animation/design, and most of all music. I and the chorus which we'd auditioned for performed his funeral mass shortly after his death. I saw that he inserted some great musical works into his stories (he was always doing crazy things to blend his interests), so I feel it fitting to end his existence on FF by providing his dedicated readers with the music by which he departed from this world. These are not recordings of our chorus, but they are just as emotional as we were during the procession. These songs were selected because they were some of his favorites, and they fit the occassion. Please listen in remembrance of Living Paradox. All of the links below are "(you tube)" with each link below added to the end.

.com/watch?v=hQTMrs0DMsI&feature=related

.com/watch?v=nydD17m6Tn8

.com/watch?v=iWtcvmSLxy4

.com/watch?v=tV29TqNc4rM&feature=related

.com/watch?v=J5MoZlNVG-s&feature=related

.com/watch?v=J5MoZlNVG-s&feature=related (he and I are in this one)

In remembrance of my friend, I can TRY to continue his works to fitting ends...if you want, or we can preserve what exists in memory. Reply back with revies, as they've been rerouted to my email adress. For now at least, goodbye everyone.


End file.
